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Las Vegas, Nev. (Tuesday, January 26, 2010) – After facing a career threatening illness over the past few months, former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight title-holder Brock Lesnar is eyeing a return to the Octagon this summer. Lesnar was suffering from a major intestinal infection and lost 40 pounds as a result of a strict diet to treat the illness, and the former NCAA wrestling national champion says his recovery is nothing short of a miracle.

"I have a different outlook on life from this,” Lesnar admitted. “But when it comes to fighting, I'll still be dishing out pain."

Last year, Lesnar awoke in a cold sweat in the middle of the night during a hunting trip in Canada, and he was immediately rushed to a hospital. He returned to the United States for further evaluation after his hospital stay north of the border, and doctors found the equivalent of a hole in his stomach. It was determined Lesnar should undergo a career-ending but potentially life-saving operation to fix the wound, but a steady diet of antibiotics and IV treatment for the next 11 days delayed surgery when his body began to internally heal his injury.

When Lesnar returned to his South Dakota home after a long hospital stay, he committed himself to a disciplined diet and saw his health continue to improve. He then dropped down to 248 pounds before shocking doctors with an almost complete recovery. Once CT Scans revealed that the hole in his stomach had healed itself without operation, Lesnar returned to working out and currently weighs 273 pounds.

The intestinal illness caused Lesnar to forfeit his UFC Heavyweight Championship, and the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstar last stepped in the Octagon on July 11, 2009, in an impressive knockout win of MMA veteran Frank Mir at UFC 100. While his weight class has continued to be highly competitive, the UFC had a hole of its own with the absence of the highest-grossing fighter in the UFC.

"There's some talent (in the heavyweight class), which is good," he recently stated. "I know one thing. All those guys are (worried) again.”

Lesnar will likely face the winner of the Mir-Shane Carwin fight at UFC 111, which will take place at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.